Warm blossoms, beautiful gardens, none compare to the place you hold in my heart.—With Wen Yujing's surname, expressing his affection for Jingyuan.
"Who are you? Why are you holding me?"
Jingyuan's eyes were wide with fear and confusion, her hands gripping tightly at the hem of her clothes.
The man stood in plain black garments, his back to her, silent.
Growing anxious, Jingyuan took a tentative step forward, inching closer.
But the man suddenly raised his long right hand and gestured. Two bodyguards seized her instantly.
"No! Let me go, let me go…" Jingyuan whispered desperately, her voice trembling.
Sweat rolled down her face, dampening her hair. Her fists clenched tight around the bedsheet.
In her dream, two men had dragged her into a private room. Everything inside had been filthy, unbearable to look at.
"No… don't come closer…" She stared at a naked man approaching her.
"Ahhh! Let me out!"
With a sharp cry, she jolted awake.
Jingyuan's wide eyes glistened with tears, her forehead beaded with sweat, long lashes wet.
She blinked, scanning the room, her thoughts spinning: It's been three months since I was reborn, yet the events of my past life keep replaying in my dreams.
No matter how desperately she tried in those dreams, she could never see the face of that mysterious man.
Lowering her gaze, she glanced at her clothes, patted her head, fragments of memory surfacing.
"Jingyuan, you've grown bold? Sneaking off to a bar to drink?"
"Xiao Yuan, be good, listen, stop making a fuss!"
Her eyes widened in shock.
Oh no… oh no!
Leaping out of bed, she muttered in panic, "Don't tell me… I did something to Wen Yujing last night?"
She hurried into her shoes, flung open the door, and half-ran down the stairs.
In the living room—
Wen Yujing sat cross-legged, flipping through a magazine.
From Jingyuan's angle, his broad, solid back radiated a gentle warmth, almost sunlit.
Pausing on the staircase, memories of three months ago came flooding back.
Back then, she had been gravely ill. Upon discovering her boyfriend's betrayal, she had fallen into despair, not noticing the car that struck her. After a long fight for her life in the hospital, she had slipped into a coma at home.
Three months ago, she had awoken—reborn. Coincidentally, the Wen family patriarch had come to arrange a marriage. Freshly awakened, she had agreed.
Two weeks later, she and Wen Yujing had collected their marriage certificate—no wedding, no relatives informed.
Their parents had simply shared a meal at a hotel. Just like that, she had married herself off.
Afterwards, she had followed Wen Yujing back to the Yujing Residence.
That very night, loosening his tie in a lazy posture, Wen Yujing had pulled out a prenuptial agreement from beneath the coffee table.
Without complaint, she had skimmed it and signed her name.
From that moment, she realized just how powerful Wen Yujing truly was in the capital.
"Madam, you're awake! Are you feeling unwell anywhere?" Fu Ma, the housekeeper, asked when she noticed Jingyuan frozen on the staircase.
At her words, Wen Yujing set aside his magazine and turned his head to glance at her.
"Fu Ma, you may leave us," he said, his voice low and cold.
Jingyuan stepped down, stopping less than a meter from him. She met his deep, shadowed gaze.
"Wen Yujing, last night…" She didn't finish before his eyes darkened dangerously.
If she hadn't brought it up, perhaps he wouldn't be this irritable. "Jingyuan, have I been too indulgent with you?"
What? Too indulgent?
"Wen Yujing… I didn't actually… do anything to you last night, did I?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.
His face grew darker, his temper hotter.
"Jingyuan!" His roar echoed through the Yujing Residence, startling the servants.
"Hey! Wen Yujing, why are you yelling? I blacked out last night! How am I supposed to know if I did anything to you?" she shouted back, matching his volume.
Spotting a plate of fruit on the table, her appetite stirred. She licked her lips, walked right past him, and plopped onto the sofa beside him with a casual, almost rustic posture.
She lacked the polished elegance of a noble daughter, yet her natural grace made her impossible to ignore.
After a moment of thought, she turned her gaze on the capital's feared "Lord Jing," her lawful husband. Her eyes carried no warmth as she said seriously:
"Lord Jing, you've got it backwards. It's not that you've been too indulgent with me. According to our contract, Clause 120: Party B is not permitted to interfere in Party A's private life. This was your rule. Wouldn't you agree?"
At her words, Wen Yujing's handsome features tightened, his dark eyes blazing with fury.
"Jingyuan, if I hadn't arrived in time last night, do you know what could have happened to you?"
"What could have happened? I was with Manjun at your bar. How could anything go wrong?"
Her mind flashed with images from the night before. Shock gripped her heart. Pei Shiqing—he was the man who had drunk with them last night.
In her past life, Pei Shiqing had been her boyfriend. Had he not colluded with that mysterious man to trap her, her family would never have been ruined.
"Ha! You admit being with her—then do you also realize you're her aunt?" Wen Yujing sneered, lowering his crossed legs to glare at her.
"Please, Wen Yujing, of course I know. She's also my best friend!"
Best friend… and now, unbelievably, her best friend's uncle had become her husband.
Since their engagement, Jingyuan had never once seen the Wen family until the day they got their marriage certificate. Only then, over dinner, had she realized her closest friend had become her niece.
Wait. Something felt wrong. Normally, when she skipped classes or sneaked off to bars, he never interfered. He certainly never waited for her to wake up.
So… had he been struck by lightning?
"Jingyuan, let me warn you. From now on, you're not allowed to go drinking at bars!" Wen Yujing thundered.
She set the fruit aside and stood up without a word.
He hated being ignored. Irritated, he grabbed her hand roughly.
As she tried to step away, he yanked her into his arms.
Before she could react, his lips crashed onto hers—rough, forceful.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Damn it! That was her first kiss! Gone—just like that?
Shoving him back, fury flared across her face. She clutched her lips, glaring.
"Wen Yujing, if you're going to lose your mind, then do it with some other woman! And don't forget—we have a contract. You just violated it."
Her voice cooled, her gaze sharp. After a pause, she added icily:
"Still… since you clearly took the wrong medicine today, I'll let this one slide."
Wen Yujing frowned, stunned by her sudden resistance, staring at her in disbelief.